https://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/family/children/can-kids-go-to-school-with-cold-556943
Can kids go to school with a cold? And other back to school safety questions answered
All pupils in schools across the UK have to go back to school this month
How can the schools keep children safe?
Extra cleaning
With everyone now going back to school full time and questions around coronavirus safety and 'can kids go to school with a cold'?" being posed to teachers around the country, all schools have been forced to consider the safety of pupils and teachers by the government and to make "enhanced cleaning arrangements-. This means that all surfaces and facilities will be cleaned often throughout the normal school day, in addition to any regular cleaning that normally happens.
Teachers also have their own disinfectant sprays and must wipe down classrooms after
use.
Leon Hady is a headteacher and the founder of Guide Education, he says, "Most people are very happy with the extra cleaning that's going on. Parents have been really supportive of that because the people that tend to be shielding the most are the grandparents of those kids."
Hand washing will be the priority
The message that was spread at the beginning of the lockdown about the safety importance of washing your hands properly will be emphasised once again as kids go back to school. This means that even if kids do go to school with a cold, the chances of it being spread to others will be reduced.
As the government's advice for schools advises, children will be "cleaning [their] hands more often than usual - wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with running water and soap and dry them thoroughly or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered."
It's also thought that the 'catch it, bin it, kill it' line will be used again to emphasise the importance of good hygiene to young children.
Everything on one desk
The days of inter-year group mixing are unfortunately a thing of the past for now As Leon confirms with us, schools are trying their best to keep pupils apart wherever possible.
In some schools, this means 'bubbling' students so that two groups are not mixing. Pupils will be taught, have their lunch times and any free time outside of lessons in these groups and won't be able to socialise with anyone outside them on school property.
Largely, this won't be a problem for many young children who often make friends within their own class anyway. And for older children, Leon says they're often in situations where they have more established friendships so may not want to socialise outside of their own class.